Process of preparing catalyzing material



i the fibrox.

u mrao srArss PATENT omcs,

nzncnrnx. wEmrnAuB, or NEW YORK, 1v. Y.,' n'ssrenon TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

1,423,978 No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EZECHIEL WErN'rRAUB, a citizen of the United States, residin at the city of New York, inthe county of 'ew York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Preparing Catalyzing .Material, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The presentinvention. comprises a process of preparing a novel form of catalyzing material, described by me in a copending application, Serial No. 224,895, filed March 26,

Such transformation products of the described gnateri'al which have the essential physical structure -offibrox are also to be included under the same generic name of fibrox. r

In accordance .with my invention the mass of fibrox to'be provided with a catalyzing material is subjected to a fluid menstruum capable of depositing the desired catalyzing agent upon the fibres throughout the mass of or otherwise treated to produce the'desired reaction. For example, finely divided nickel .may be deposited by the decomposition of nickel carbonyl vapor in contact with fibrox; platinum may be deposited on the fibrox by the reduction of carbonyl platinochloride and osmium deposition may be carried out speeilication of Letters Patent.- Patented July 25, 1922. Application filed March 2 6, 1918. Serial No. 224,897.

by the reduction of vapors of osmium tetrachloride with hydrogen.

- Fibrox strips may be placed in a container of glass, quartz or the like. The air may be preferably withdrawn with a vacuum pumpand the'vapor of nickel carbonyl then is admitted preferably at reduced pressure,

say, at about one-fifth atmosphere in order to allow for the increase in volume and pressure when the carbonyl decomposes. The container when thus charged is heated to about 180 C. "in order to decompose the nickel carbonyl, fdepositing finely divided nickel on the fibrox fibI'GS." This treatment maybe repeated several times to produce a desired deposit.

When a deposit of platinum is desired, the fibrox is placed in a container of glass, quartz or other material sufliciently refractory and a quantity of carbonyl platinochloride is admitted, the process beingthe same as above described in connection with the deposition of nickel. This material ma be formed in a chamber immediately a jacent the fibrox container by the action of carbon monoxide and chlorine gas on platinum sponge at a temperature of about 250 C.

In accordance with a modification of my invention, the deposition of the catalyzer may be carried out by the use of a liquid instead of a gaseous menstruum or carrier. In this case care must be exercised in the subsequent washing of the fibrox so as not -sulphate. The fibrox is immersed in this solution and the solution is heated to boiling. The resulting chemical action involves the formation of nickel hypophosphite and its subsequent reduction oncontinuous boiling by the excess of sodium hypophosphite to form metallic nickel. The boiling is continued for at least an hour and thereupon the fibrox is removed, carefully washed with distilled water, and finally dried. If the washing operation with distilled water has been thoroughly done so as to leave no salts upon the fibrox, then the coated fibrox will return to its initial bulk upon drying.

Similarly a mass of fibroX may be placed in a solution of chlorplatinic acid and an excess of saturated solution of ferrous sulphate is added and the solution mixture is boiled. The result is a deposition of platinum on the fibres of the fibrox. which thereupon should be thoroughly washed with distilled water.

The fibrox catalyst may be used for the oxidation of ammonia to nitric acid, the

oxidation of sulphur dioxide to form sulphur trioxide for the manufacture of sulphuric acid, and articularly for the synthesis of ammonia rom nitrogen and hydrogen. In this case as high pressure is used a small sized apparatus'is desirable and therefore the large active surface offered by fibrox .for a small volume is of special advantage.

:What I'claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The method of depositing a catalyzing material on the fibres of fibrox which consists in permeating said fibrox with .a gaseous menstruum capable of liberating the desired material and then producing the desired reaction by heating the gaseous menstruum to the reaction temperature.

2. The method of depositing a catalyzing material on the fibres of fibrox which con sists in placing a mass of fibrox to be acted upon within a container, exhausting said 

